Tag: Mackinaw
Mackinaw City 2007
Mackinaw City is really getting to be fun with all the shopping areas and fun places to go. There are magic shows in the Mackinaw Crossing shopping complex and also tourist trap stuff like the house of mirrors. A shoppers paradise for sure.
In the evening they have a laser show in the complex and if you time your stay right, fireworks over the lake on certain weekends. James has fun playing in the many assorted playgrounds all within walking distance of our hotel. He also enjoys walking on the beach but prefers the beach under the bridge since that is where all the rocks are that he likes to throw in the lake.
Mackinaw Island 2006
We really enjoy going to this island, the earlier the better. We try to get there before 8am because we pretty much have the whole island (and boat ride) to ourselves. The only people on the boat with us are people who work at the stores on the island. We go up the big hill, past the big Fort, and straight into the State park part of Mackinaw. It always reminds me of the trek Dorothy took to get to the witches castle before the flying monkeys got them. A forest full of mystery and landmarks all over. Three graveyards are here as well, a Protestant one, a Catholic one, and a Military one. Most of the graves here are well over a hundred years old.
There is also Skull Cave, Arch Rock, and a scenic view that simply cannot be captured with a camera. In the city you have the Grand Hotel which was the setting for the movie “Somewhere in Time” with Christopher Reeve.
There are no automobiles allowed on the island for transportation. You must walk, ride a horse, ride in a horse drawn carriage, or ride a bicycle. There is a small airport on the island, it is a good hike to get to but we have done it so its possible. However why come all this way to see a small airport?
Mackinaw City 2006
Every spring we make a trek up north to the straits of Mackinaw and go to the State Park on the Island. Mackinaw is spelled two different ways and both are correct, sometimes you see it as Mackinac, sometimes as Mackinaw. This is due to being occupied by both the French and British who had different spellings for the name.
An obvious strategic location along the great lakes, Mackinaw is littered with history including forts, military graves, indian burial grounds, and one of the largest suspension bridges in the world which joins the upper and lower peninsula’s of Michigan.
We had a special treat this year, on the ferry back from the island we drove under the bridge which is something that usually is not allowed. There was a VIP on board which is why they did it, who the VIP was I have no idea.
Museum Ship Tour Saulte Ste Marie 2006
The Museum Ship offers more than just a tour of her deck. Housed inside her massive cargo holds is a 20,000 square foot museum with over 100 exhibits! The Edmund Fitzgerald exhibit holds the two lifeboats from the stricken vessel. Torn away during the sinking, these lifeboats are two of very few major artifacts recovered after the tragic demise. The exhibit also features an hour long presentation about the events that occurred on November 10, 1975 which caused the tragic loss of one of the Great Lakes’ largest freighters. In addition to the museum exhibits, the Museum Ship VALLEY CAMP displays four 1,200 gallon aquariums stocked with various species of fish from the Great Lakes region.
The ship is gigantic, you could kick field goals on the deck and never have to worry about the ball going overboard. I am not sure who is the original owner of this tanker. Its says Republic Steel in some area but I also saw the emblem for US Steel (both are my customers in Lorain Ohio).
A great tour, hard to believe one just like it sank in Lake Superior.
Sea Shell City 2006
I remember as a kid seeing an episode of the old Adam West batman show where the Joker tied up Batman, Robin, and the Jokers girl friend (that’s why hes the joker) and fed them to a giant clam. The cliff hanger was Robin being eaten by the clam with only his foot sticking out of the clams mouth. Batman broke out of the chains and saved everyone and that night they had clam chowder for dinner.
So naturally when I see a sign for a man eating clam I am going to pull over and take a peek. While the clam was not quite that big, it sure was big enough to swallow James. Sea Shell city has a huge variety of sea faring souvenirs and is a great place to visit on the way up (or down) from Mackinaw. Octopus, starfish, alligators, shark jaws, and many other treasures of the deep are here for the taking (after you pay of course). Other man made items such as sea shell lamps and sea shell bottle holders fill aisle after aisle. A fun place to visit.
Mackinaw 2005
Our annual visit to Mackinaw and one of the largest suspension bridges in the world. Mary was a little under the weather today so James and I went to the Fort. It’s still pretty much the same way I remember it when I first went there with my mom and dad about 40 years ago or so. The thing I remember most about the Fort was the skeleton in one of the watch towers so that was the first place James and I went, sure enough, he was still there.
James is much more mobile than he was at the last visit here so that helps, we don’t need to keep him in a stroller all the time. He enjoys running around in the open areas that they have at the fort and at the parks. He is not yet thrilled by the historical significance of some of the indoor displays at the Fort.
Sea Shell City 2004
We stopped at Sea Shell City to do some shopping. Its becoming a habit to stop here either on the way up to kick off our vacation or on the way down to extend our vacation. We consider this part of the Mackinaw experience even though it is technically located in Cheboygan. We do the same with St Ignace, its all part of the Mackinaw experience.
James spent a little time eye balling the pirate ship outside of the store. It was almost like the kid was saying “I will be playing here soon and one day even running this ship”.
Inside the shop we had the usual selection of items. Mary bought a t shirt and I bought a bottle holder for the bar. A fun experience for everyone at Sea Shell City this year.
Fort Mackinaw (Mackinaw Island) 2004
James, Mary and I visited Fort Mackinaw on both the city side and the island side. I personally liked the city one better although the island one was much better built as forts go. The Fort at Mackinaw City is primarily made of wood while the one on the hill at Mackinaw Island is made of stones with the wood on top.
That evening we got to see a great fire work display that went on over the water. There is so much to do nowadays in Mackinaw that you really can’t see everything in just one weekend. The island alone would take that much time. I would say 5 days would be perfect, however we usually only stay for 3 or 4 but at least we never get bored.
We saw the cannons shoot off at both forts and that is pretty cool in any century.
Mackinaw Island State Park 2004
The thing I remember most about this trip was getting up super early and arriving at the island before 7am. On our way up to the State park we met Governor Granholm on her way down.
We went to Mackinaw Island for our Honeymoon and several other times, but this was our first visit with James. We took him for a nice long walk through the state park then let him play in one of the many playgrounds on the island. Hopefully we can make this an annual event for James.
Lots of first’s for James here, first time on a boat, first vacation, first time crossing the Mackinaw Bridge, first time in the Upper Peninsula. He did really well for us in the car which is about a 4-5 hour trip so hopefully we can do many more of these trips.
Fort Mackinaw (Mackinaw City) 2004
Visiting this fort is always much fun. There are two major historic forts on the Mackinaw straits. The one on the Mackinaw City side of the pond and the one on the hill on Mackinaw Island. Both were occupied at various times by England and France as they battled for control of the straits. The one we toured today was the one on the Mackinaw City side located nearly underneath the bridge.
Dad remembers going on the tour as a child and there was a skeleton in one of the lookouts. The first thing Dad checked out was to see if that skeleton was still there and sure enough it was.
The tour is mostly a self tour with mini tours going on from time to time. They shoot off the cannon which is pretty cool and very loud. Bring your earplugs for that.
